BBC flouts cookie law with ironic cookie
Television listings site Radio Times is operated by the BBC’s commercial wing, BBC Worldwide. The first time you visit the site after 26 May you see this message about the new privacy law on cookies:
Here’s a close-up:
Go back to the Radio Times web site again though and you don’t get the message. How does the site know you’ve already seen it? By using a cookie of course! Yes, to avoid repeatedly telling you that cookies can’t be set without your permission, the Radio Times web site sets a cookie without your permission. Here’s the cookie info shown by Firefox:
about 1 year ago
Hee Hee.
Very good. I just got the same result. It saved the cookie without even saying so in that text. Very good BBC.
I never knew that “law” existed though.
Imagine how impossible it will get if every website started nagging about cookies?
It’s bad enough with the new “Do Not Track” stuff going on, we certainly don’t need another.
about 1 year ago
If you followed the link and read their informative post, you would see that the BBC are following the government’s guidelines and will be bringing in the cookie permission changes over the summer. On top of that, the BBC are voluntarily going beyond the requirements of the law, which only covers tracking cookies, to seek user permission for all cookies.
about 1 year ago
“flouts cookie law” Great headline, shame it fails to properly convey the situation. The EU directive concerned has caused so much confusion at DCMS and the ICO that the commissioner is giving everyone a year’s grace to get it sorted.
Oh and that particular cookie, if it contains no personal information is not linkable to any session or database data and can’t be used to identify the person concerned will probably be allowed even when the rules are enforced.
Nice work on increasing the FUD though…
about 1 year ago
Good one. Although to be honest I’d prefer not to have this notice everytime I visit the website. It’s more than most have done so far.
about 1 year ago
Erm, how about getting a clue about the technologies and laws involved befores writing the article? The law forbids TRACKING cookies, this is, cookies with some kind of UUID destinated to user tracking, NOT session/prefs/other (anonymous) cookies! Specifically the law doesn’t forbide the general use of cookies at all…
This particular use of cookies by BBC is perfectly legal. Please, educate yourself when you’re about to write something. Thanks!
about 1 year ago
I appreciate the irony – But in fairness to the Beeb – they do alert you to the fact that the law exists and tell you they are working on a solution – but they didn’t actually claim that they had implemented a solution.
Given that in the UK we have officially been told that we’ve got another year before any kind of enforcement – I’d say that seems fair enough.
Dean
about 1 year ago
> Imagine how impossible it will get if every website started nagging about cookies?
> It’s bad enough with the new “Do Not Track” stuff going on, we certainly don’t need another.
Oh, yes, by all means, track everywhere I go and collect as much data about me as you can — all without my knowledge or permission.
What a moron!
about 1 year ago
As the BBC full well know, the UK passing of the law the EU has already excepted has been deferred until next year
The government is now leaning towards putting the pressure onto browser manufacturers instead as they realised it was impractical otherwise
about 1 year ago
oops, excepted = accepted!
about 1 year ago
Tracking cookies are quite different things and IIRC, this is what has been banned.
See, cookies make modern website work. Sessions, the concept of a “log in”, the whole concept of “authentication”, they all require cookies to be done securely. You simply don’t “eliminate” cookies from the web.
However, tracking cookies subvert this functionality by using the same capabilities to keep track of users across dozens of sites. They can allow a company to track linking patterns, as well as frequency of visits and certain demographic information.
However, the cookie in question is clearly a “preference” cookie, which is NOT covered under the law. In fact, every single website you visit would have to absurdly notify you on almost every single page view if you had to be notified for each cookie placed.
Don’t be ridiculous.
about 1 year ago
The law is not limited to tracking cookies. Follow-up post with links to wording of the rules, and an explanation from the Information Commissioner:
http://www.meejahor.com/2011/05/29/ironic-bbc-cookie-story-exposes-mass-cookie-law-confusion/
about 1 year ago
I am sure that this irony will not stop at the BBC. I am sure if you wondered over to many of the government websites, you will get a similar effect.
Is it irony then, or double standards?!
about 1 year ago
The law actually says that any software or script must have the user informed for it’s use and what the software or cookie is used for along with any third party use. Also, that it is time specific so each time the user visit the site the cookie should be again accepted.
The laws are there for the users protection.
The user until a better way or the law is modified the wording of the law, will have to continually accept the cookies and scripts whether they be java or object flash cookies.
It is simply about letting the user have the informed with relevant and full choice on the actions.
The way the advertising companies could go is in paying for the usage of the acceptance of the cookies, etc.
about 1 year ago
Wouldn’t it just be better if the browser developers provided a plug in that asked us for our preferences up front? We could then either:
1. accept all cookies
2. accept all but third-party cookies
3. block all cookies
Wait! They do that already! If they made this more obvious to less well informed web users, perhaps everyone could rest easy?
about 1 year ago
Just to say, the BBC sold off Radio Times a while ago by order of The BBC Trust.
Radio Times is now an independent magazine.
about 1 year ago
The problem with that idea Phil is that if everyone were to block all cookies then their enjoyment browsing the internet would stop. Things like facebook like buttons, leaving comments for example. Lets not forget Google Analytics. If everyone blocked cookies then The Analytic data would drop to zero. No webmaster would know who visited them, what content they liked the most and therefore websites would be plunged into the dark ages. The general public do not want this yet somehow this law has come about. I just do not understand a law that the people do not want.